Why Mean Streets is such a damn good film

If I'm forced to describe Mean Streets in one sentence, I would say that it's a helluva fun film about bad people doing bad things. Not that helpful, I know, but that's how I see the film.

Mean Streets is the film that catapulted the career of Scorsese and may I say, deservingly so. Some people have now considered him as the greatest director alive and although I'm not in full agreement, I can definitely see their point.

The great thing about Mean Streets is its energy and its rawness. It's a very stylized movie with great dialogue and great rock and roll soundtrack. I believe Scorsese was the first to use pop music as soundtrack and I wholeheartedly thank him for that.

I was surprised when I found myself enjoying this movie more than Scorsese's other works. By all means, Taxi Driver and Raging Bull are superb movies. But the heart of Scorsese is in the stories of the Italian American neighborhood and that means films such as Mean Streets and Goodfellas.

In my book, Mean Streets wins over Goodfellas. Watching Mean Streets, you can feel that Scorsese was just in the process of finding his directing style. It's less polished than Goodfellas, but that's exactly why I love it more.

Here is my most favorite scene from the movie. The really good stuff comes around minute 3:20



Have you ever seen a fight scene in any other movies that feels this real? Did you notice the crude movement of the camera when it's zooming in on the boys or when it's following them? Awesomeness!

And not to mention the excellent dialogues. Here is when the boys decide that mook is such a terrible insult:

Johnny Boy: Hey, why don't you lower the jukebox, I can't hear nothin'.
Joey 'Clams' Scala: Hey, the girls like the music loud.
Johnny Boy: Girls. You call those skanks girls?
Joey 'Clams' Scala: [to Charlie] Hey, what's a matter with this kid, huh?
Johnny Boy: Hey, there ain't nothin' wrong with me my friend, I'm feelin' fine.
Charlie: Keep your mouth shut.
Johnny Boy: You tell me that in front of this asshole?
Joey 'Clams' Scala: Alright, alright, we're not gonna pay. We're not paying.
Jimmy: But why? Joey, we just said we were gonna have a drink.
Joey 'Clams' Scala: [Joey interupts] We're not payin', because this guy, this guy's a fuckin' mook.
Jimmy: But I didn't say nothin'.
Joey 'Clams' Scala: And we don't pay mooks.
Jimmy: Mook? I'm a mook?
Joey 'Clams' Scala: Yeah
Jimmy: What's a mook?
Johnny Boy: A mook, what's a mook?
Tony DeVienazo: I don't know...
Johnny Boy: What's a mook?
Jimmy: You can't call me a mook!
Joey 'Clams' Scala: I can't?
Jimmy: No...
Joey 'Clams' Scala: [pause] I'll give you mook!

Mean Streets is the quintessential Scorsese movie, and if you want to see why Scorsese is worshiped by so many people, you just have to watch this movie!

Heck, I don't mind watching it again with you :)

Link: imdb.